This invention relates to irrigation sprinklers of the rotary type, and more particularly to a new and improved adjustable contour control device for permitting a rotary sprinkler to be used to irrigate highly irregular as well as regular arcuate shaped areas.
There are many instances where it is desirable to use a conventional rotary sprinkler, such as that known in the art as an impulse or impact drive type sprinkler, to water a surface area which is not circular or of a constant radial distance from the sprinkler. For example, when a lawn or garden is to be irrigated, frequently the area to be watered has an irregular boundary created by sidewalks, driveways, streets, buildings, etc. onto which it is undesirable to spray water from the sprinkler. Since most conventional rotary sprinklers spray a stream of water a constant radial distance from the sprinkler, the use of such a sprinkler to water an irregular shaped area may be highly undesirable.
While numerous rotary type sprinklers have been disclosed in the prior art which attempt to provide the capability of watering irregular surface areas, which sprinklers have tended to be relatively complex in design, expensive to manufacture, and susceptible to clogging, jamming and breakage, and have generally met with only limited acceptability. Accordingly, there remains a need for a relatively inexpensive, highly reliable and effective contour control device for use with a rotary sprinkler which is simple in design yet capable of permitting easy and precise adjustment of the spray from the sprinkler to conform to the specific regular or irregular area to be watered.
As will become more apparent from the following, the present invention fulfills this need in a highly unique and novel manner, as well as providing other and further advantages.